UPDATED WITH NEW INFORMATION: 11/16/09

NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE

Frequently students ask about volunteer opportunites.  There are several organizations that are looking for high school students such as Hospice of the Valley, Teen Lifeline (for students interested in counseling or psychology), AmeriCorps (serve for 12 months at a local shelter, school or community organization), Scottsdale Healthcare, City of Scottsdale STOMP program (city's revitalization effort including general yard work, cleanup, painting, etc.).  In addition, a student can go to www.volunteerphoenix.org to find volunteer organizations by category such as Animals/Wildlife, Environment, Community Services, Cultural/Entertainment, Disability, etc.  Depending on a student's interest area, there is probably an organization that could would match up and could use some help.  A student will benefit most from community service when they have a passion or interest in that area. 

Thanks to the generiosity of the PTO, DMHS will continue to offer Escholarships to our students for the 2009-2010 school year.  Escholarships is a wonderful scholarship search service for students of all grade levels.  (While the the majority of scholarships are typically for seniors, there are contests and essay writing scholarships available for all grade levels.)  Students can obtain the password from Mrs. Sterner in the College & Career Center.  The link is www.collegeguidanceconsultants.com.   

The University of California Board of Regents just approved the elimination of SAT Subject tests as part of the application process starting with the class of 2012.    (They were previously the only public education sytem in the country that required two SAT subject tests.) They will continue to require either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT with Writing. This revised requirement will affect the freshman class of 2012.  The top 9 percent of high school graduates in the state of CA are assured entry.  All students must have a weighted 3.0 grade-point average to be considered. 

Did you know that some colleges are "test optional"?  These colleges or universities do no require SAT or ACT tests as part of the application process.  These colleges typically believe that a student's academic record and extracurricular activities are a better indicator of college success than a test given on one or two dates.  Connecticut College just joined the ranks of schools that are test optional.  For a complete list, go to www.fairtest.org . 

UPDATE ON AIMS TUITION WAIVER: The AIMS tuition waiver has been approved for the Class of 2010.  For updated information on modification to subsequent graduation years, go to the Arizonda Department of Education's website at www.ade.az.gov  

Did you know that there are state grants available to study for college?  (Grants are financial aid that does not have to be paid back.)  Students can log on to www.azgrants.gov and use a single application to apply for all state grant programs.

Student can designate which SAT scores they want sent to a particular college through Score Choice.  While this may sound like old news, it is actually a change from previous practice.  A student can in fact "block" a bad score from being sent to a college.  In the past, once a student designated that a score should be sent to college, all past scores were also sent.  Some college may specify that they want all scores, so pay attention to the fine print in the college application process.  Also, be aware that some colleges can opt out of Score Choice and require applicants to report every SAT score.  Examples of some of these schools include Stanford, Cornell, Pomona, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California.  Also, starting in 2008, certain Subject tests have been dropped from CollegeBoard.  Go to www.collegeboard.com for a complete listing. 

If you are new to this website, please go to "Previous Information" link above for key information communicated last school year. 

COLLEGE INFORMATION

 IN-STATE COLLEGE UPDATES:

The University of Arizona merit scholarship letters went out on Monday, 11/16.  Look in your mailboxes this week!
If you are applying to ASU, make sure to get your application submitted by 12/1 for consideration for ASU merit-based scholarships.  Remember to have your ACT/SAT scores sent directly to all colleges you are considering.  Test scores are used by colleges for merit based scholarship consideration.   If they don't have your test scores, you won't be considered for a merit scholarship!

Great news!  There is no longer a fee to order transcripts for ASU, UA and NAU when ordering through Docufide.   To order transcripts for any college, remember to go to www.docufide.com  In addition, if you are a family who has experienced financial hardship this past year, please see Mrs. Sterner for a college application fee waiver for our in-state colleges.  In addition, there are fee waivers availble for out-of-state colleges if you qualified for a fee waiver to take the SAT test.  See Mrs. Sterner to learn more.

Our in-state colleges have assigned an admissions rep to DMHS students.  These individuals are very helpful.  The contact information for each school is as follows:

ASU    Alfred Avilez, 480 965-3027 or alfred.avilez@asu.edu
UA      Brenna Carson 602 266-0059, ext. 23 or brennac@arizona.edu
NAU    Chris Phillips (928) 523-6009 or chris.phillips@nau.edu  
SCC    Terri Blau 480 423-6382 or terri.blau@sccmail.maricopa.edu


Did you know that NAU is as close as a local community college?  NAU has offices, classrooms, full time faculty and staff located on the Paradise Valley and Scottsdale Community College campuses.  The programs, called "2+2" allow students to complete their first two years at a community college (with lower tuition), then stay on campus to complete their bachelor's degrees as registered NAU students.  Class sizes remain small and services continue to be personalized.  To learn more, attend an upcoming Connection Day.  One will be held at SCC, Student Center Building Patio on Tuesday, 2/23 from 10:00-1:00 p.m. and the other event will be at Paradise Valley Comunity College - KSC Building Courtyard on Thursday, 2/25 from 10:00 - 1:00 p.m.  

Students who are enrolled at ASU, NAU or UA can now take on-line classes at all three Arizona public universities, no matter which one they call home.  The Arizona Board of Regents created AZNUN (Arizona Universities Network) to allow more students to complete college level studies.  Students can utilize this network to get ahead, explore a broader variety of subjects, fit classes into a hectic schedule, catch up on credits or take prerequisites when it's more convenient.  To learn more, go to azun.net or call 800-685-8102.  The best part of this program is that you pay one flat fee for multiple on-line classes. 

Significant changes to UA this year!  The application fee has been raised to $50 for residents.  (It was also raised to $50 at ASU.)  There is now an Honors essay question on the application that is required for interested students.  The question is "What in your opinion is the most significant challenge facing your generation and how might a university education make a difference?"  Students who apply to the Honors College and complete this essay question do not need to complete the Personal Statement. (This is a change made effective in November, 2009) For students who are interested in teaching, there is no longer a secondary education degree---instead they are offering a 5 year masters program with teaching certification.  UA has launched a Next Steps Center to help with enrollment/housing/residency questions etc.  

The University of Arizona has introduced the Arizona Assurance program that provides qualified students the opportunity to graduate from UA debt free.  This program is unmatched by any other institution in the state.  To qualify, a student must earn admission to UA and apply for financial aid no later than 5/1/09 and enter as as a UA freshman directly from high school.  The family income must be equal or less than $42,000.  For more specifics, visit the Arizona Assurance web site:  financialaid.arizona.edu/assurance.

Scottsdale Community College:  The Maricopa Community Colleges Honors Program offers the President's Scholarship for students who rank in the top 15% of their class.  The scholarship provides in-county tuition and registration fees for up to four consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment at any Maricopa Community College.  To obtain an application, contact Eric Leshinskie at 480 371-8300.  Students who are applying to community colleges, do not need to take a SAT or ACT test.  However, community colleges require that students take a placement test as part of the admissions process to ensure the students are placed in the appropriate English or math class.  SCC will be holding an information session at DMHS on 12/3 at 9:15 in the College & Career Center.  Students must sign up beforehand.

More and more students are interested in going to school to obtain an education and get into the workforce as soon as possible.  This is where community colleges frequently come into play.   For example, Mesa Community College offers a dental hygiene program where 100% of the graduates pass the state board.  Each community college offers different strengths.  Paradise Valley Community Collge is offering more late afternoon classes so seniors can get a jump start on general education classes that may be required at their 4 year college.  This saves money since community college credits are a fraction of university college credits.  Gateway Community College offers outstanding programs in the medical and automotive fields.  Numerous community colleges have a NAU campus on their site so a student can sign up for a 2 + 2 program (2 years at community college; 2 years taking classes at the same community college location but through NAU).  This can save a student an incredible amount of money if they don't live on campus. Don't forget to check out community colleges as a viable start on your career.    


OTHER COLLEGE RELATED NEWS!

We still have a few colleges visiting DMHS through November.  For example, representatives from the military academies (Wespoint and the Coast Guard Academy) will be here on Tuesday, 11/24.  Check the Calendar link above for other visits. 

National Portfolio Day is an educational event for young artists designed to bring together sudents and experienced college representatives who review artwork, offer critique, and discuss college plans.  These events are not an examination or a competition, but rather an opporunity for a professional to previeew your work and provide you with helpful information regarding next steps for college.  Over 35 colleges participate in these events.  The Phoenix event will be held at Mesa Community College, Kirk Student Center on Saturday, 12/12 from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.  (Check in at 11:00 a.m.)   It is suggested that you bring up to 20 pieces of your best work including work in progress.  To learn more, go to www.portfolioday.net  

Parents and students often ask where to begin when selecting a college.  A great place to start is for the student to gain self awareness about the type of college where they will most likely thrive.  A great inventory to take is available through the U.S. News & World Report website at www.usnews.com.  Click on Education, Student Center and then scroll down to the College Personality Quiz.  It will take some time, but should yield some very helpful data.

Incoming Juniors or even sophomores may be interested in taking a free SAT or ACT practice test to see which test best measures your  individual aptitude before taking the "official" test for college admissions.  Princeton Review and Kaplan as well as other vendors offer these free tests.  Go to the website of your favorite SAT/ACT prep company to learn about free practice tests.    Mrs. Sterner also provides a reference sheet of contact information on the most popular SAT/ACT Prep companies serving our students.    


What is one of the best ways to really learn about a particular college?  Talk to a student who is actually attending that college!  Over the past several years, we have collected college surveys from DMHS alumni and have placed them in a binder in the College & Career Center.  We have surveys from over 40 colleges including Columbia, Emory, Boston College, Lehigh, Norwestern, Parsons, Rice, Tufts, UC Berkeley and more.  The best part of the survey is that the student provides his/her email address and/or phone so you can contact them directly regarding additional questions or concerns you might have.  All students who have returned these surveys are very eager to help DMHS students. Stop by the College & Career Center to review the
book.

Attention seniors attending Scottsdale Community College for their English class! Are you aware that the CCC publishes Senioritis - a monthly newsletter for seniors about colleges & career?  These newsletters are distributed in the English classes, but you if you are attending an English class at SCC, you can pick up a copy in the College & Career Center.  Keep updated on scholarship news, where your peers will be attending college, important key dates and more. 


PLEASE BE AWARE THAT FILING FOR FAFSA AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE IN 2010 IS TRULY TO YOUR BEST ADVANTAGE AND YOUR COLLEGE MAY HAVE A SPECIFIC REQUIRED FILING DATE.  CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE OF THE SCHOOL WHERE YOU ARE APPLYING.  THEY ALSO CAN HELP WALK YOU THROUGH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.  
  
Is the cost of attending a private or out of state college daunting to you? If you would like to know the approximate Estimated Family Contribution for attending a particular college, based upon your family’s personal finances go to www.finaid.org for an excellent estimator. Similar estimators are often available on the individual college website under Financial Aid.  The information you submit is confidential and protected. The amount of money a family is expected to pay can vary dramatically from college to college. For example, at Boston University, the average calculated “need” for a family making over $120,000 is $11,000. You can compare your EFC for numerous colleges at this site. Another good resource is FAFSA4caster.  You can find out whether you are eligible for the Pell Grant as well as your Expected Family Contribution. Research done early on can help alleviate sticker shock later on!  Another outstanding website to learn more about student and parent loans for college education is www.simpletuition.com/usnews.  You can compare percentage rates, learn about fees, subsidized and subsidized loans and more.  

Transcripts for the college application process can be sent through  www.docufide.com at a fee of $5.00 per transcript.  (The fee is waived for ASU, UA and NAU.)  Please be aware that transcripts are verified via our Registrar before being sent out through Docufide; consequently school breaks can affect when the transcript is actually sent out. Also, some schools will only accept a hard copy transcript and not an electronic transcript which may delay arrival.   Avoid disappointments and get your transcripts sent early! Students who need an official transcript for a scholarship or leadership applications, can go to the bookstore to pay the $5.00 fee and take the receipt to Mrs. Kaufmann, the Registrar. Unofficial transcripts which are sometimes required for scholarship applications can be obtained from your counselor, Mrs. Loftus or Mrs. Sterner at no charge. 


LEADERSHIP/EXCHANGE/SUMMER PROGRAMS